Rocky Hill School's top-ranked varsity soccer team earned the school's first New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class D Championship yesterday with a 3-1 victory over second-ranked Forman, Litchfield, CT.
Less than six minutes into the game, Rocky Hill senior co-captain Zeke Farrell slotted a ball past the Forman goalkeeper thanks to a fine assist from sophomore Juan Giraldo. Twenty minutes later, Rocky Hill doubled its lead to 2-0 when sophomore Kamusu Zean scored thanks to a fine build up from teammates freshman German Rodriquez, senior TJ Thran, and senior Seth Curtis, each of whom made the shot possible. Forman narrowed the lead to 2-1 about halfway through the second half when a low drive beat the Mariners’ goalkeeper. However, late in the game, Rocky Hill added an insurance goal as Thran placed a ball into the back of Forman’s net. With the victory, Rocky Hill earned the NEPSAC Class D title, the first such award for any team in school history.
Rocky Hill concluded its memorable season with a final record of 13-4-2. Along the way, the team scored 62 goals in 19 games. It is worth noting that nine different players scored for the team with Farrell and Zean each scoring 17 to lead the team. Although the boys lost in the Southeast New England Prep School (SENE) semifinal match against runner-up and larger Class C Hyde, they earned the respect of every team in the league. Thankfully, being invited back to the New England Class D tournament extended the season. Given the loss in the final two years ago and an early exit the year before to runner-up Bancroft, Rocky Hill's sights were set on a return to the championship match. With a thrilling, come-from-behind victory over Brimmer and May in overtime during the quarterfinal and a suspenseful win by penalty kicks against Williams in the semifinal, the team demonstrated that it could play well under pressure.
The seniors on the team include Curtis, Farrell, Joe Jordan, co-captain Matt Nota, Will Pontarelli, Cooper Robinson, Thran and Aidan Toohey.